Fall Term 2022 COVID-19 Information – Undergraduate Students

To: W&L Undergraduate Students
From: COVID-19 Committee
Date: Friday, July 29 and Monday, August 1

We are excited to welcome our students back to campus in the coming weeks and to be planning for a healthy and productive fall term.

The university does not currently plan to provide on-campus screening testing for COVID-19 at the start of this term. We strongly recommend that all students test for COVID-19 in time to receive their test results before traveling to campus. If you test positive, isolate, and do not return to campus until six days after the date of your positive test. If you test positive and will be delayed in returning to campus, please email your class dean for guidance. Once you return to campus, you must wear a mask for 10 full days following the date of your positive test.

If You Experience Symptoms After Returning to Campus

The university will have a limited supply of home test kits available for students, but we ask those who are able to bring a supply of home COVID test kits with you to campus. The Student Health Center (SHC) can perform COVID-19 testing for any student with symptoms whenever the SHC is open, if testing supplies and staffing are adequate. Call 540-458-8401 to schedule a COVID-19 test if you have symptoms that could indicate a COVID infection (congestion, runny nose, cough, sore throat, etc.).

After returning to campus, if you have any symptoms that could indicate a COVID infection, you should mask and stay home until you take a COVID test. If you test positive for COVID:

  1. Contact the Student Health Center to report your positive test result and review appropriate isolation location and duration. Limited isolation housing is available on campus if you cannot safely isolate in place. The SHC can assist with short term academic adjustments for class absences during your isolation period. Treatment options may be available if you are at risk of severe disease: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/treatments-for-severe-illness.html
  2. Use the CDC Calculator to determine your Isolation Period: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/quarantine-isolation.html
  3. Notify all your close contacts: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/tell-your-contacts.html
  4. Notify your faculty, coaches and work supervisors of your isolation period as needed.
  5. Watch for worsening symptoms, and if you have an emergency warning sign such as trouble breathing or persistent chest pain or pressure, seek emergency medical care immediately.

Masking

Masks are optional in all indoor spaces on campus except in the Student Health Center, where masks continue to be required. Please be mindful that some members of our community will feel more comfortable wearing masks and distancing. We should all continue to be kind and respectful of others' decisions to mask or not.

Individuals should consider wearing a mask in all crowded settings, both indoors and outdoors, when CDC community transmission levels are Medium or High, and for close contact with others who are not fully vaccinated or at increased risk of severe disease. In addition, individuals are encouraged to spread out to the extent possible, particularly when unmasked, at social events, and in other crowded venues, even when they take place outdoors. Please consider socializing and hosting events outdoors as much as possible.

Resources

Current information can be found on the COVID-19 Resources website. Undergraduate students should contact the Student Health Center or their class dean with individual COVID-related questions. Other general COVID-related questions may be directed to covid19@wlu.edu. We encourage you to regularly monitor local and regional COVID-19 community levels.

The COVID-19 Committee will continue to monitor CDC and VDH guidance and will update our policies and plans as appropriate.